


A Christmas To Remember

by telli1206



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Boyfriends, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Girlfriends - Freeform, Kissing, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:28:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28330905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telli1206/pseuds/telli1206
Summary: Jay just wants to make his first Christmas with Carlos one that he'll never forget, and he's willing to pull out all the stops to make that happen. But...maybe he should have checked with Carlos first.
Relationships: Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Jane/Li Lonnie, Jay/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 14
Kudos: 22





	1. Truly Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barnabashale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barnabashale/gifts).



Jay curses himself for not dressing warm enough when his body starts to shiver uncontrollably. A thicker coat would have definitely been a better idea. The light one he threw on absentmindedly is doing absolutely nothing to combat the icy breeze, which is getting colder by the minute as the sun fades over the horizon. 

He sighs as he cups his hands and blows. There’s no way he’s letting the cold stop him from enjoying the breathtaking holiday views. Fingers be damned, this is the most Christmassy thing he’s seen since he got back to Auradon.

From his vantage point on the front yard, he can see the fresh blanket of snow completely covering every surface, casting delicate blooms of crystal white that sparkle in the twilight. It’s like something out of a painting, it’s almost too perfect. 

Evie and Doug are standing just outside the front door of the castle, talking to the decorators perched on the rooftop, all busy at work draping gleaming white Christmas lights all over the castle overhangs. Multiple strands are dripping over the sides, glittering like the most beautiful icicles, reflecting all sorts of colors over the snowy ground beneath them.

He’s in complete awe, eyes wide and glossy as they try to absorb every gorgeous wintry detail. He’s not even aware Evie’s approaching until her quiet huffs distract him. 

His gorgeous friend is stumbling slowly through the soft mounds of snow, and he chuckles as his arms shoot out to steady her when she gets closer. Only Evie would be able to wear faux fur-tipped hiking boots  _ with heels  _ and not even look silly trying to use them as if they’re proper winter gear.

“Jay!” She pants quietly, gripping gratefully to his forearms as she catches her breath. “I’m so glad you came outside! Doug has been at this all day, I swear,” she shakes her head, still smiling slightly. “But I think it came out great, don’t you?”

She looks over her shoulder at the castle, beaming happily when Jay starts nodding. 

“For sure, Eves. It looks great. Really gets you in the Christmas spirit.”

He smiles as Evie leans in to hug him tightly. “Thanks Jay. I’m so glad you came! This is going to be so fun.”

Jay nods. “Thank  _ you _ , Eves. I can’t think of a better way to spend my holiday break, honestly. It’s going to be so great having us all together for Christmas.”

Evie smiles and gives Jay another squeeze. “So, do you know if they’re close? I figured that’s why you came outside, right?” She cranes her neck to peer down the darkened driveway, looking out for any signs of movement.

“Yeah, Lon should almost be here. But I guess her new… ‘friend?’ is coming on her own.” He perks a brow, following Evie’s gaze down the empty path. 

Jay was shocked, to say the least, when Lonnie had confessed to him that she had recently started up a relationship, especially after revealing that it was  _ long-distance _ . But the new girl lived in Auradon, so Lonnie jumped at the invite to stay with Evie and Doug, especially since they were more than welcoming to her bringing a  _ date _ with her for the week.

“So, she still hasn’t told you her name even? That’s odd…” Evie comments when Jay shakes his head. “I wonder why?”

“Dunno,” he shrugs, checking his phone again. “Maybe it’s a surprise. Or I know her.” 

Jay chuckles at that last thought. He already knew there was a good chance he might know the girl if she’s been a local Auradonian for a while. But Lonnie had joked with him all through high school about the slim pickings for her in Auradon, so it just didn’t seem likely. 

He could be wrong, though. It’s not like things haven’t changed a lot for him since then, too. Anything is possible.

Jay’s phone lights up then, and he checks it quickly, trying to hide his reaction from Evie as he reads the message he’s been anxiously waiting for. But Evie already can tell who it is just from the look on his face. Only one person makes Jay smile that brightly.

“And...Carlos will be here soon?”

The sudden red blush warming Jay’s cheeks is answer enough for Evie, and she grins triumphantly. Jay ducks his head to avoid her knowing look, opting to turn and face the driveway to wait for the cars to arrive. An icy tingle in his fingers reminds him of just how cold he is, even if the heat in his face is helping with that...just a little bit.

The familiar crackling of ice on tires alerts Evie and Jay to a bright blue sedan coming through the dark shadow of the trees that line the road. Jay immediately recognizes Lonnie’s car and walks around to the driver’s side when it pulls up, with Evie leaning in to wave excitedly at Lonnie through the car window.

“Jayyy!” 

In an instant the dark-haired girl is launching out of the car towards him, wrapping her arms around him in a suffocating hug, pushing air out of his laughter until he’s barely wheezing. Jay hugs back, but he doesn’t even attempt the same strength that Lonnie puts into it. Just in case he can’t...and then she won’t let him live it down all week.

“Lons.”

He holds her tight, letting his chin rest on her shoulder. The familiar tickle of her hair on his cheek makes him smile. “You have NO idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, it  _ better _ be tons.” She quips. She stands back and shoves him lightly in the chest, furrowing her brow to feign anger at him. But there’s no hiding the curl of her lips as they start their usual banter. It’s almost like it hasn’t been months since they’ve seen each other.

Jay chuckles and pushes back at her, going for her shoulder instead. “Yeah, yeah…I did. It’s so good to see you, Lon.” 

She gives him a final smirk and a wink before she turns away, facing Evie with a wide smile.

Evie immediately grabs Lonnie by the shoulders and pulls her in close, squealing happily. “Lonnie, so glad you could make it! Welcome!”

Lonnie’s face scrunches when Evie squeezes her in tight, but she manages to wiggle a little space between them. “Thanks for having me! And, my...date?”

She looks back to Jay, who’s raising a surprised eyebrow. 

“What, you’re not sure now?” He teases. “You’re spending the week here just so you can hang with this chick! Don’t-“ 

He puts his hand up to silence Lonnie, and she snaps her mouth shut.

“-Don’t...bullshit your best friend, ok? We’ve never spent Christmas together as long as we’ve known each other.”

Surprisingly, Lonnie doesn’t try to argue. Instead, she just smiles softly, ducking her head a little to avoid Jay’s glare.

“Fuck, I better like this girl, Lons, if she’s already so damn special to you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure you will.”

Lonnie’s slight smile at her comment is a little unnerving, and Jay finds himself studying her face, as if he could figure out what she’s thinking. But when another car pulls into the driveway, he loses all focus. Of everything.

_ He’s here. _

He doesn’t even remember getting to the driver side door, but he already has it open, and is smiling down into the deep brown eyes he’s been waiting to see. He reaches out to take Carlos’ hand, helping him out of the car to stand in front of him. 

“Hey ‘Los. Long time no see.”

He smiles, and Carlos smiles back. It’s Jay’s favorite smile, bright and wide and golden, and meant just for him. His heart is wild and thrumming to life at the sight of it. He stands there for a moment, trying to etch the smile into his memory, and Carlos lets him, just holding his hand and feeling the warmth in their palms pressed together.

“Um. Hi. Jay?”

A petite voice shocks Jay back to life. One that is very familiar, but very unexpected. He dares a peek over Carlos’ shoulder to the girl that’s standing there, with shocking blue eyes and curly brown hair.

“Jane??” 

Her cheeks are pinking when she smiles at him, and he watches as Lonnie steps over to her, putting a tentative arm on her shoulder. But Jane doesn’t shy away. With a breathless giggle, she slowly leans herself into Lonnie’s touch.

“Lons…” Jay tries, processing slowly. He looks between both girls as he thinks. “Jane is...your date?”

His best friend looks nervous to respond, scratching her head and looking away from Jay. But Jane tilts her head up to Lonnie, giving her a toothy grin, and Lonnie catches it and smiles, too.

“Yeah,” she says, with Jane nodding her agreement.

“Ohhhh!” Evie coos, clapping again. “This is amazing! I can’t wait to hear all about how you two got together!”

Balancing on her heels again, Evie takes a wobbly step forward, waving everyone inside as she flails a bit across the snow.

“Come on, let’s get inside and get you settled. We’ll have a lot to talk about in the morning once we all get a little sleep in us.”

Jay grins and squeezes Carlos’ hand, using his grip to pull him in closer. Carlos snickers as he brushes against Jay’s side. They swing their hands together playfully, following carefully behind Evie, Lonnie and Jane.

“I missed you,” Carlos barely whispers, and Jay smiles at him, releasing their hands so he can grab him by the hips.

“Missed you too,” he whispers back, sneaking a kiss to Carlos’ temple. “But tell me, did you know about Jane and Lonnie? I mean, you had to if you drove her here, right?”

Carlos shushes him but offers a tiny nod. “Not everything, but Jane did need someone to talk to about it. This is totally new to her, you know?” 

Jay smiles in agreement and squeezes Carlos’ hip. “I’m sure she thought you’d be able to relate best.” Carlos hums quietly but doesn’t look up. “Ok, I’ll let it slide that you didn’t tell me. Just this  _ once _ . But you better tell me any of the juicy details she told you.” Carlos chuckles as they walk inside, stopping the conversation once they close in on Jane and Lonnie. 

Evie immediately ushers everyone up to their rooms for the night, insisting that rest is needed before their break truly starts. But Jay’s not complaining. He’s been waiting for this for much too long, and time alone with Carlos will be the perfect start to what he has planned for this week.

Once in their room, they make quick work of getting ready for bed, stripping off all the cold winter gear and frosted clothing in favor of their dry t-shirts and boxers. The bed is warm when they crawl in, but Jay still takes the opportunity to hug Carlos to him, making him laugh as he stumbles into Jay’s too-fast embrace.

They snuggle into each other, tangling their legs together and settling their heads onto the pillows. When they’re laying sideways and their faces are close, Jay starts to stroke his fingers lightly through Carlos’ hair, letting the soft curls thread around his fingers. Carlos tips his chin up, eyes bright and intently focused on Jay. Jay leans in, and presses a kiss to Carlos’ soft lips. 

“Best way to start Christmas break,” Jay mumbles against Carlos’s lips. He snorts out a laugh when their teeth clack harshly from Carlos’ wide smile.

They stay like that for a while, sliding their lips gently against each other’s, kissing lovingly but lightly. When he starts to feel the heaviness of sleep taking over his body, Jay gives a final sweet peck to Carlos’ lips and grins lazily.

“We’d better sleep ‘Los. We’ve got a lot going on this week.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow curiously. “Oh really? Sounds interesting.”

Jay chuckles as he hugs Carlos in to lay on his chest, letting his fingers dance across his arm soothingly.

“I hope so.”


	2. Tradition Time

Waking Carlos up early in the morning is never an easy task. So this time, Jay comes prepared.

“Wakey wakey, ‘Los!”

He’s loud, and Carlos grunts at the intrusion, burying his face into the pillow. But Jay leans in closer, holding the hot, steaming cup of coffee out to allow the rich scent to waft through the air. And then, he waits.

The light grumbles through the pillow stop almost immediately, and Carlos turns his head to face Jay, forcing one eye open. He inhales deeply, confirming the coffee smell before pushing off one arm to sit upright.  _ Success _ . Coffee always works like a charm.

Jay suppresses a giggle, staring fondly at the lopsided pile of curls on Carlos’ head, his pillow-creased face and squinty eyes. If he’s ever seen anything more adorable than a barely awake Carlos, he can’t remember. Carlos reaches an arm out for the mug in his hands, grabbing and cupping it against his chest to steal its warmth. Jay dips in and kisses the tip of his nose, making Carlos giggle and finally force out a tiny smile.

“Thaaanks,” he tries to say but the word ends in a yawn. “It’s super early though, isn’t it?”

“It is…” Jay starts, hesitant. “But, the first holiday activity I have planned for us needs to start bright and early. Can you be ready in thirty minutes?”

Carlos puffs out a pout, knowing very well how deliciously distracting they are to Jay. But Jay is undeterred this time, shaking his head and cupping Carlos’ chin in his hands. 

“It’ll be worth it, ok? I promise.” He kisses Carlos firmly, but holds him in place when he tries to chase Jay’s lips.

“We’ll have time for that later,” he teases, winking suggestively. Carlos blooms scarlet, turning away to quickly slide off the bed. He yelps when Jay slaps his ass lightly.

“Get going!” 

Carlos sticks out his tongue, giggling and swatting at Jay when he pretends to bite at it. “Ok, ok. I’ll meet you downstairs,” he finally agrees, grabbing for a towel and clothes on his way to the bathroom.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Jay narrowly misses the ceiling joist that juts out at the bottom of the stairs, even though he’s already banged his head on it once this morning. He’s so determined to avoid it again that he almost misses the conversation he’s walking into in the kitchen. He hears Evie’s high pitched coos just as he reaches the beam and ducks...too fast. 

Stumbling over his feet, Jay spills curse words when his hip slams against the table before he’s able to stop himself. There’s an awkward silence, and he sucks in a breath as he looks around the table at the stunned faces. He barely registers a pair of small, soft hands at his waist until they’re gone. When he looks over, Jane is chewing on her lower lip, avoiding Jay’s eyes. Lonnie, on the other hand, is covering her mouth and fighting back a laugh,  _ very  _ unsuccessfully. When she finally bursts, Jay sneers at her, eyes glaring as she leans over to hug Jane from behind.

“Smooth, Jay! Maybe you should grab another cup of coffee before we go. You know, to wake up those senses a little?” 

The table erupts in more laughter, but Jay just rolls his eyes and stalks to the coffee pot without saying a word. He  _ really _ hates to admit it, but Lonnie’s not wrong about the coffee.

Evie, Doug, Jane and Lonnie easily fall back into conversation as Jay prepares his cup. Lonnie is still sharing her and Jane’s journey into dating, which Jay already pried out of Lonnie early this morning. There was no way he was going to wait another second to find out how it all went down.

Warmth bubbles inside him as he watches Lonnie’s face. When she’s talking about her and Jane together, she has an undeniable glow about her, lighting her from the inside out. She’s still hugging Jane from behind with a wide grin on her face, and Jane is tucked into her shoulder with her hands over Lonnie’s. She occasionally burrows her nose into Lonnie’s chin, smiling happily when she forces Lonnie to stop talking just to giggle and nudge her away.

“I’m so happy for you both,” Evie beams, gripping Doug’s hand on the table. He nods excitedly, watching the girls’ shy but happy smiles at their reaction.

There’s nothing that thrills Jay more than getting to see his friends be so happy. They’ve all had their fair share of problems in the last year, and the anxiety of their work, teams, and even relationships has weighed heavily on them. And Jay has both seen and heard the toll it’s taken on their ability to relax and enjoy life, himself included. He’s definitely been worried about the high expectations he may have for this Christmas break, but he can’t help but hope for the chance for all of them to really get to enjoy each other’s company. And this moment in the kitchen, laughing and smiling, listening to stories of budding relationships, has only stoked the flames for that hopefulness.

And that hope is high for Carlos especially. Well, for Carlos  _ and _ himself. Even though they’ve done their best to see each other this year, it’s been difficult for sure. Particularly in the last few months. Jay is never happier than when he’s with Carlos, and now that they’ve worked so hard to get their relationship in such a good place, he’s sure that Carlos feels the same with him.

Unfortunately, Carlos spent more time working than being with Jay this year. And Jay can’t even be upset, since his practices, games, and travelling with his team for away games has been just as much to blame for that as Carlos’ work. But they’re here now, together, and Jay is determined to make the most of that. He’s going to make this Christmas break joyful for both of them.

And he already has plans to make it happen.

Carlos comes down the stairs then, showered and groomed but not looking much more awake. He smiles sleepily to everyone, happily patting Jane’s shoulder when he walks by while she’s still wrapped in Lonnie’s embrace.

“Alright!” Jay shouts, clapping loudly to get the attention of the entire kitchen. “We’re leaving in 10 minutes! Everyone dress as warmly and comfortably as possible and meet me at the car!”

He points with both thumbs towards the door and smiles through the pained groans, continuing to clap as everyone starts to get up.

“Trust me, you’re gonna love it!”

  
  


\-----

  
  


“Jay, we  _ better _ be close! I’m not doing this much longer. I’m about to rebel and run back to the car.”

Evie’s yelling is garbled through chattering teeth, but her message is still loud and clear. Carlos is trying to keep her as warm as possible under her arm while Jane walks beside them to chat and try to keep her distracted from the bitter cold.

Apparently, she’s not exactly loving what Jay had planned.

In front of them, Jay, Lonnie and Doug are walking together, huddling over a sunlight sensor that Doug had brought. He explained excitedly in the car how it would be able to help them detect the premium placing of trees that would get the most needed sunshine. As a result, the three of them had been so fixated on finding the best Christmas tree on the farm that Evie’s whines were falling on deaf ears for practically their entire tredge through the more than knee-deep snow.

Despite Evie’s obvious dislike of their activity, Lonnie couldn’t be happier. She had spent most of their excursion eagerly discussing Doug’s sensor with him, pointing out tree after tree while he pulled the calculations.

“Jay, I don’t know where you get your ideas...but I  _ love _ this!” Lonnie croons.

She steals a glance back at Jane, smiling at the girl’s huge, awestruck eyes that are grazing over the gorgeousness of the snowy forest around them. She grins happily at the breathtaking view, blushing instantly when she catches Lonnie watching her.

“Jane’s so wide-eyed over this forest. I think you really scored me some brownie points with this one. And decorating trees is her favorite thing to do at Christmas!”

She slaps Jay hard on the back, and he has to bite on his lip to avoid screeching in pain.

“Glad I could help you out,” he grits, fighting away the urge to rub at his back. “It’s Carlos’ favorite too.”

“Ohhhh, I got it,” Lonnie says, winking at him. “You planned this to get in good with him, too?”

Jay smiles quietly, shaking his head

“Chill Lon, it’s not like that. I’m just trying to make sure our first Christmas together is memorable. That’s all.”

“Guys!” Doug interjects, jabbing his finger in the air. “I found it! It’s right here!”

A tall, almost ten foot balsam fir, branches full and wide and shaded the deepest pine green stands in a clearing, perched perfectly straight in the glittering snow. Jay’s grin breaks when he sees it, radiating joy at the sounds of  _ oohs _ and claps from his friends.

“Finally!” Evie groans. “Can we get it to the car already?”

Carlos chuckles quietly next to her, and Jay notices his strained smile, not as bright and full as he was hoping for. He’s shivering slightly, curling into Evie. He looks almost as ready to go as his whiny friend.

“‘Los, hold the tree up with Doug while I cut it down? Then we can drag it back.”

Jay reaches out to Carlos, who nods and takes his hand, leaving Evie to lean on Jane.

Jay’s heart lightens when Carlos and Doug walk over to position themselves around the tree, holding it in position for Jay to start sawing. Seeing Carlos taking a bigger role in his Christmas tree outing is definitely reassuring. 

Maybe Carlos will  _ actually _ love this as much as Jay wants him to.

  
  


\-----

  
  


When they arrive back at the castle, Jane and Evie are quick to grab all the wet coats, hats, gloves and boots, pulling them off and tossing them to the side as soon as everyone is inside where it’s warm.

“I’ll grab some blankets,” Evie insists. “Doug, can you start a fire before we worry about the tree?”

Doug nods curtly and shuffles hurriedly into the great room. Jay is walking closely behind him, gripping Carlos tightly and blowing onto his hands, doing whatever he can to transfer his body heat over to him.

“Feeling any better?” Jay asks, hopeful.

Carlos nods silently, but his body still shudders involuntarily. His cheeks and nose are flaming red, and the crystalized snow in his hair has melted into soppy wet curls that are dripping into his eyes.

Evie shoves a towel into Jay’s hand, offering a sad smile.

“Why don’t you both take the couch closest to the fire,” she asks, placing her hand on top of their conjoined ones. “Carlos, I’ll make you a hot chocolate, ok?”

Carlos smiles gratefully, squeezing at Evie’s hand with his thumb.

“Can I get a hot chocolate too, Eves?” Lonnie implores as she drops into a chair next to the couch.

“I’d love some too!” Jane adds cheerfully.

“Of course! But would you mind getting some mugs for me?” Evie asks on her way to the kitchen. “Oh! And marshmallows!” 

“On it!” Lonnie pops up, snatching Jane’s hand and pulling her along.

“I’m so sorry, Carlos,” Jay sighs, adjusting the boy to lay in his lap. He pats at the wet curls with the towel, eventually folding it underneath Carlos’ head to catch the dampness. “I never thought that would happen. I’m so glad you’re not hurt.”

“Jay, it’s ok,” Carlos says, his tone calm. He reaches up to touch Jay’s cheek, with warm chocolate eyes that are soft and comforting. He strokes along Jay’s jaw, lips upturned with a hint of a smile. “How would you know which way that tree would fall? And I got more cold and wet than anything. The tree barely touched me.”

“Yeah, but that could’ve been so much worse…” Jay scoffs, but his voice comes out shaky, unsteady. Today was a dispiriting blow to their vacation. Carlos  _ is _ fine, which is good, but he’s too tired and freezing to want to decorate, which is not. 

Instead, they spend the rest of the night on the couch together, with Carlos resting in Jay’s lap, nursing his hot chocolate. Doug and Lonnie eventually set up the tree, and Jay and Carlos have an enjoyable time jokingly supervising while Doug, Evie, Jane and Lonnie decorate it.

“Jaaaaaane! I told you the bigger bulbs look  _ better _ at the bottom! You’re making it look all weird and lopsided. Move that down!” Carlos teases, fighting to keep a straight face. He sets his mug on Jay’s knee so he can point forcefully downward. Jay chuckles as Jane rolls her eyes but keeps her smile, following Carlos’ direction. She bows dramatically at him once the ornament is in place.

“Anything else, my liege? I hope my obedience to your precise orders has pleased you.”

Carlos is very familiar with Jane's mocking tone, and he’s snickering under his breath before she’s even done talking. But he still plays along, casting a boring look on her and waving his hand lazily in the air.

“As well as can be expected,  _ peasant _ . Now be gone, we’re done here.”

Jay’s mouth twitches as he watches Carlos joke with Jane. His boyfriend’s beautiful smile is undoubtedly infectious, especially when it’s glowing and happy, like it is right now.

Jay sneaks his fingers in carefully to hover just under Carlos’ underarms, being still as possible to avoid detection. Before Carlos can make another snarky remark, he hooks his fingers into his armpits, urging Carlos into a fit of giggles.

“Jayyyy, stop!” Carlos pleads, already breathless. He rocks back against Jay, almost dropping his mug in an attempt to loosen Jay’s grip. But the new position only allows for Jay to curl into Carlos’ neck, peppering kisses while the boy is gasping for air. When he finally lets go, Carlos turns to glare at him, but with lips upturned and a sparkle in his eye. Jay smiles when he sees his cheeks and ears flush scarlet again, this time for reasons other than the frigid temperatures outside.

“You’re such an ass sometimes,” he snarks, poking fingers into Jay’s chest. 

Jay grabs his wrist and pulls him in so their noses are touching. “Sorry, did you say I have a nice ass? Why, thank you,” he taunts, smirking proudly.

“No! I...will you j-just...I mean…” Carlos flusters, pulling away from Jay and sliding off the couch. “You’re insufferable,” he sighs, a smile still tugging at his lips. He takes Jay’s hand to pull him up. “It’s late. Maybe we should go to bed, now that the tree’s done.”

Jay glances over at the Christmas tree, now softly glistening a warm white light, colorful lights sparkling off of it from the colorful ornaments. A white glittering snowflake perches on top in place of the usual star. 

“Nice job, guys,” he muses, beaming happily at Jane and Lonnie, now nestled under a blanket on the chair beside them. Jane is half laying on top of Lonnie, head leaning against her shoulder as Lonnie gently plays with brown curls.

“Naturally,” Lonnie snides, eyes closed and half-smiling.

“Hey! I helped too!” Evie chimes in from her chair next to them, seated in Doug’s lap.

“It looks beautiful Evie,” Carlos jumps in, closing his fingers on Jay’s. “I love how Christmasy the castle looks. You and Doug did a great job.”

Evie grins wide, reaching her hand to Carlos for a loving squeeze. “Thanks, Carlos. I’m so glad you’re here. All of you,” she adds, with a look around the room.

She gets up from her spot on Doug’s lap, stretching her arms high as he gets up from behind her.

“I think we’re turning in, too. Good night.” She yawns lightly. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll all be warmer and drier, whatever we do,” she hints, with a sideways glance to Jay.

He chuckles, meeting Evie’s stare. “No promises.”

Carlos groans as he follows behind Jay up the stairs. “Are we going to be freezing outside again? I only just got the feeling back in my fingers!”

“C’mon ‘Los, be a sport. You can’t expect us not to be outside just a little bit, to enjoy the beautiful snow?”

Carlos grumbles softly for a minute, and they get changed and ready for bed in mostly silence. Jay doesn’t want to press anything yet, Carlos is usually able to calm himself down after a few minutes of quiet thought. He does have to remind himself to breathe once or twice though. The thought of Carlos already shooting down the activities he had scheduled and detailed out so thoroughly before break makes him nervous. This was mainly for Carlos, after all.

They snuggle under the comforter together, Carlos remaining silent until he lets his head drop onto Jay’s shoulder. He buries his nose into Jay’s neck, inhaling deeply before letting out a loud, resigned sigh.

“As long as we’re not out there  _ all day _ , I guess.” He concedes. Jay refrains from smiling, but tightens his hold around Carlos’ back. “As long as I’m with you.”

“That’s my ‘Los,” he coos playfully, feeling Carlos’ smile pressed against his skin. “We’ll have a great time, I promise.”

They will have a great time, Jay promises himself, as his mind starts to haze. Today was a little bump in the road, but his ideas were all to guarantee that it would Christmas break they would never forget.

Tomorrow will go more smoothly. He has no doubt.


	3. Christmas In The Air

Today was already off to a better start, mostly because Jay let Carlos sleep in. It seemed to be the wisest move, given his boyfriend’s sourness at being woken so unexpectedly yesterday. And coffee can only do so much to combat that, so for the sake of their plans, Jay has to let sleep win.

He doesn’t really feel the need to fight it, since that gives him the chance to enjoy the silence of the morning and a full cup of coffee. And that will benefit  _ everyone _ just as much as Carlos getting proper sleep. 

He contemplates stepping outside briefly to admire the snowy morning, but he’s torn out of his thoughts by a light tapping down the hallway. He smiles into his steaming cup. There’s no need for him to look up, he’s only ever met one person in his life with heeled slippers.

“Oh!” Evie startles, taking a step back into the darkness of the hall. “I was wondering who’d be making coffee this early. I should have known.”

She purses her lips into a sweet smile and walks around the table, wrapping her robe tightly around herself as she moves to sit across from Jay.

“So, no run this morning?” She asks, eyes darting to the undershirt and pajama pants Jay was wearing. 

He shrugs quietly, taking another sip from his mug. “I figured I’d take the week off.”

Evie raises a brow, watching Jay with a quizzical look. “You? Take a week off from your daily runs?” She chuckles softly, putting her hands up defensively when Jay glares. “Sorry, I just...didn’t think that was possible.”

She continues to smile as Jay’s glare softens. His lips curl into a smile, and he pulls his mug in to look back down into the dark swirling beverage. “Some things are more important than staying in shape for Tourney, Eves.”

“Oh really?”

Jay dares a look up and instantly regrets it. Evie’s beaming. The glow from her smile is enough to make Jay flinch and avert his eyes again, but Evie reaches out and clasps his hand.

“Ohhh you’re being such a lovesick sap, aren’t you? But I  _ love _ it, I really do!” She removes her hand when Jay meets her gaze again. Her smile is no less brilliant than a second ago, but her words are making it...palatable.

“I never thought I would get to see you this happy, Jay.” She realizes her words are harsh and she flinches. “I mean, you know,  _ this _ kind of happy. Happy with Carlos. I’m just... _ so _ thrilled for you, Jay. For you both!”

Jay chuckles and shakes his head. Evie is such a romantic, she can almost be too dramatic about it sometimes. But he knows Evie is being genuine, and he can’t help but feel warm from her joyful outburst.

“Thanks, Eves.”

Doug walks in then, distracting them from their conversation with a loud yawn. Evie springs up to cover his wide open mouth. “Baby, cover your mouth at least! We have company, remember?”

Doug pulls Evie’s hand away and smiles apologetically, pecking her lips quickly. “Sorry. And sorry to you too, Jay,” Doug adds with a small smile his way.

Jay nods quietly, but he and Doug are being dragged further into the kitchen before he can say anything.

“Let’s get breakfast going before everyone wakes up,” Evie requests. She pauses, stealing a glance at Jay. “You don’t mind helping, do you?”

“Of course not! Eves, you know me better than that!” Jay snorts, opening the fridge.

Evie sighs, relieved. “I know, sorry. I just don’t want to be presumptuous. You’ve already done so much this week.”

Jay grabs the carton of eggs and drops them on the counter before crouching down to look for a pan. But he freezes when Evie crouches down next to him.

“For the record,” she whispers, sliding open the drawer next to him and pulling out a pan, “I’ll stop being a whiny bitch now, and just have fun on the rest of our outings. Thank you for planning them, and for trying to make this a fun week for everyone.  _ Even if _ ,” she adds with a nudge, “I’m pretty sure you have some ulterior motives.”

She hands Jay the pan as she stands, smoothing her robe and giving him a knowing smile.

“I’m doing this for  _ everyone _ Eves, so yeah, it’d be nice if you were having fun too,” Jay teases, eyebrow raised. Evie giggles quietly as she drops bread into the toaster, but doesn’t say anything else. Jay’s fine with that though. He’s pretty sure she gets what he’s trying to do, and he’s more than happy that she’s willing to go along with it.

The rest of the morning is relatively relaxed once Jane, Lonnie and Carlos come down to eat. Carlos arrives last, but his wide eyes and perky smile are enough to reassure Jay that it was worth it to let him sleep in. He settles in next to Jay, humming happily through his pancakes and scrambled eggs, occasionally rubbing his hand along Jay’s knee and stealing sideways smiles in his direction. Jay is loving this moment, the lighthearted and casual conversation...until he requests for everyone to dress warmly.

“We’re going outside again??” Carlos whines, mouth still full of pancake. He gives Jay somber, pleading eyes, and Jay is almost tempted to relent, until Jane breaks through his thoughts with a delighted squeal.

“Oh, I love it! The snow is so beautiful.” She exclaims, clasping her hands joyfully, “There’s nothing more Christmasy to me than getting to go outside and enjoy it!” 

Jane’s sparkling eyes and bright smile are too gleeful to resist, and Carlos offers a weak smile to her before relaxing his shoulders and letting out a shuddered sigh.

“You’re right. It’s Christmas. I’m sure it’ll be a fun time,” he accepts, grinning a little and reaching out to grasp Jay’s hand. Jay couldn’t feel more content in that moment, tightening his grip to pull Carlos towards the closet full of winter gear.

“That’s the spirit! Just wait till you see. It’s gonna be great!”

  
  


\-----

  
  


“Jayyy! Don’t let go,  _ pleasssse _ .”

Carlos squeezes his hand tightly as they ascend the hill, Jay doing his best to drag the toboggan behind them. 

Despite Carlos’ whining, Jay knows he’s enjoying himself more than yesterday. While he didn’t look entirely thrilled when they arrived at the sledding hill, his first trip down ended with an enthused shriek, and just the sound flooded Jay’s soul with the warmth of sunshine inside him, even when he was standing in the ice cold snow. He took in Carlos’ flushed cheeks, breathless pants, and toothy grin, and felt the absolute happiest he had so far this week.

“Stop freakin’ out ‘Los, have I ever let you down?” He chuckles, yanking Carlos closer to steer him up the hill by the waist.

“No! But move _ over _ , how am I supposed to walk like this?” He pushes lightly against Jay, but Jay stiffens his arm and refuses to let go, making Carlos giggle harder with every shove he gives for space.

“Stop it, you’re not going anywhere. I’ll carry you up if I have to!” Carlos giggles furiously against Jay’s arm, distracting him so much that he doesn’t notice anyone behind them until Lonnie’s almost toppling him over.

“Move it, Jay-bear! Some of us actually want to sled more!” She shouts, dragging a cackling Jane with her. “Save the tickle fight for the bedroom, will ya?”

Carlos is beet red in an instant, and Jay lunges forward to smack Lonnie when she howls past them. “Toooo slow, Jay!” She taunts as they keep running.

“C’mon, ‘Los, we can catch ‘em!” 

Jay pushes Carlos along with him by the arm, picking up the pace as Carlos struggles and grunts in the awkward hold. “Jay! Slow down!” 

“It’s ok, they’re right there!” Jay urges, ignoring Carlos’ pleas. He slams the toboggan down just as Lonnie and Jane start to pile in theirs.

Lonnie flashes Jay a wicked grin. “So you wanna race?”   


“Well it’s not like I threw this down here randomly, did I?” He sneers, guiding Carlos to his place in the back.

Jane snickers, perking a brow at Lonnie while Jay tries to get situated. “Better move fast, Jay. Because...Ready, set, go!”

Jane kicks them off in one swift motion, starting them down the hill before Jay is even in his seat. 

“Hey!” He shouts after them, jumping quickly into his toboggan and grabbing for the rope.

“Jay! Hold-” Carlos tries to shout, but Jay’s already pushing off, and arms squeeze the breath out of Jay as Carlos desperately claws for a grip, kicking up his legs to wrap them around him as they start drifting downhill.

They gain speed fast. Too fast. He can barely hear Carlos’ whimpers, but Jay can feel his arms tightening around him. As they close in on Jane and Lonnie, Jay tries to steer them side by side, but the shift causes Carlos’ leg to drop, anchoring them into the snow and swinging the toboggan.

Jay feels the impact before he can register what’s happening. The clack of wood against wood, the scraping as the impact shifts them. There’s a high pitched scream, and Jay sucks in a breath as the arms disappear from around him. He plants his feet into the snow to push away but the toboggan scrapes painfully against his leg, and he winces when he can feel his skin chafing before they finally come to a stop.

He lays there for a moment, dazed and in shock, blinking the wet snow off his lashes. As he tries to remember  _ what _ happened, his head goes back to the who…

_ Carlos. Jane. Lonnie. _

He sits back up, whipping his head around frantically to locate everyone. A firm hand on his forearm startles a gasp out of him, but he relaxes when he looks into Lonnie’s smiling face.

“Chill Jay, it’s ok. We’re fine. It’s good.” 

Jay follows her gaze when she turns to look behind them, immediately spotting Jane and Carlos only a few feet away. Jane is half on top of Carlos, pushing herself off and coughing out a pained laugh. She’s pushing Carlos up from underneath her as well, and Jay takes a deep, relieving breath when he can see that he seems fine, for the most part.

Carlos groans softly, rubbing his shoulder where Jane’s head had been. But he’s cracking a smile at least.

Lonnie stands weakly and tries to steady herself, but Jay doesn’t waste any time, crawling on all fours and leaping at Carlos, wrapping the boy in a hug before he can compose himself.

“Jay, we’re all wet! And I’m  _ freezing _ . Just, let me stand, will you?” Carlos wriggles in his arms, but does little to dislodge his boyfriend’s hold. “I’m fine, I swear.”

Jay sighs dejectedly when he releases Carlos. His heart is still pounding, so loud in his ears he has trouble hearing exactly what Carlos says, but he can understand enough from the way his body shifts away from his touch. Fuck, and things were going  _ so _ well.

“I-I’m so sorry ‘Los,” he stutters out slowly. “I just...I thought, I guess...I’m just, so  _ so _ happy you’re ok.”

Carlos’ smile softens, and Jay leans back in to hug him, breathing a quick sigh of relief when he accepts this time.

“Aw, that’s better. No harm done,” Lonnie chuckles. Her arm is slung around Jane, who’s cuddling into her for warmth. “Should we maybe break for a hot chocolate?”

“Actually,” Carlos interjects, before Jay can accept. “I think I might want to head back. My shoulder’s a little sore.” He rolls it to show them, biting back a small groan of pain. “Do you think...we could get a ride?”

Jay can’t deny his disappointment, and as much as he tries to hide it, he’s sure that it’s plastered all across his face. Which is why Carlos is using his pout, the one that Jay can’t say no to, as he waits for Jay’s answer. There’s really only one way this can go.

  
  


\-----

  
  


So they end up back at the castle. Doug had no problem giving them a ride back, though he did give Jay a sad, sympathetic smile when he asked. It’s not hard to figure out that this is not how Jay had wanted their sledding day to end.

But Jay can be fine with it because it’s what Carlos wants. He was clearly exhausted from the afternoon’s ordeal. He had spent the entirety of the car ride with his head in Jay’s lap, Jay playing softly with white curly strands as Carlos dozed peacefully for a few minutes. 

And once they returned to the castle, Carlos had even marched past the main living room to head straight upstairs to their room, to Jay’s surprise. Jay follows him, but stops in the kitchen briefly to make some mugs of instant hot cocoa and grab a few cookies. When he finally makes it to their room, Carlos is already snuggled under the blankets and huddled around a few pillows, trying to get cozy.

“Hey, you want something a little warmer than those pillows to cuddle?” Jay teases as he nears the bed. 

Carlos sits up quickly, brushing some of his hair out of his face and smiling softly at Jay. For a second, he tries to lean on the arm with the sore shoulder, but he gasps at the shock of pain from the action and straightens himself off the arm to rub at the soreness.

“Here,” Jay offers, handing Carlos his hot cocoa and setting down the plate of cookies. “Let me get that. Lean on me.”

He sits on the bed and raises his arm, scooting Carlos under it with his hand. Once he’s comfortably laid against Jay, he starts to rub gentle circles into Carlos’ shoulder, stopping occasionally to press his fingers into the joint to check for any swelling. Carlos groans a little at the pressure, but remains nuzzled against him, taking small sips from his hot mug.

“Jay. I-I’m sorry,” Carlos rasps, his voice sounding weak. He looks up at Jay, eyes dark and shining. Jay feels a little pang of sadness looking into them.

“For what? ‘Los, it wasn’t your fault.” He wraps his arm tighter, urging Carlos to lay back down. “I just want you to be ok, that’s all I care about.”

Carlos sighs, letting his finger drag along Jay’s knee as his eyes shift downwards. 

“I-I know. But still. This outdoor stuff...sports, hauling trees, cutting wood. You’re so.  _ Good _ , at it, and, you really love it. I just...I wish I was better at it.”

Jay frowns and shakes his head. “Stop it, you know I don’t care about that. It’s not like it’s ever been any big secret that you’re not great at sports, ‘Los,” he needles, and Carlos giggles and pokes at his chest. Jay snatches his finger and interlaces the rest together, leaning in to connect their foreheads.

“All I want is you there with me, having fun. And  _ I’m _ sorry if you’re not.”

Carlos leans back, only to tilt his head to come back in for a kiss. Jay sets his mug down so he can properly cup Carlos’ neck with his free hand, tipping him back to deepen the kiss. 

They stay like that for a minute or so, their lips barely separating for air. When Carlos stops to suck in a breath, he opens his eyes and stares into Jay’s.

“I am having fun, ok? And I’m so happy I get to spend Christmas with you.” 

Jay could barely conceal his delight, his eyes crinkling when his smile breaks wide. He pecks at Carlos’ lips, over and over again until he’s laughing and pushing Jay away, tumbling backwards onto the bed. Jay clambers on top of him, trapping Carlos between his forearms and sneaking in one final peck.

“Same, ‘Los. There’s nowhere I’d rather be. And no one I’d rather be with.” Their noses brush, and Carlos smiles and leans in for another kiss. Jay can’t deny him, of course, but he does roll off of him after so he can guide Carlos back to a more comfortable spot on the pillows. 

At least he’s finally content with their fate for tonight, nursing Carlos’ shoulder and enjoying each other’s company. With two more days until Christmas, there’s plenty of time to participate in more of the festivities that the holiday has to offer.

Things can only get better from here anyway.


	4. Falling For Christmas

Jay grunts softly, his eyes fluttering open at the intrusive sounds echoing from downstairs. He had resolved himself to sleeping in with Carlos this morning, so  _ of course _ there would be a ruckus to ruin his first solid sleep this week. 

He sighs, glancing down at the boy cradled in his arms. Carlos is settled peacefully against Jay’s chest, even breaths gently ghosting through his pretty pink lips.

Jay snuggles in closer, hugging Carlos tightly to his chest to fully enjoy this restful moment. It’s almost too tempting to just stay here for the day and not move a muscle, but before he can even really entertain the idea he hears a familiar snarky cackle ring out from downstairs.

He bites back a smile, sliding out of bed all too quickly and almost stumbling over his feet, waking Carlos with his movements. The boy next to him pops up, looking surprised to see Jay awake. 

“W-What...are you doing?” He yawns, propping himself up on his elbows. Jay smiles at Carlos’ adorable sleepy face, unable to resist leaning over for a kiss. But once he’s back over the bed, Carlos takes the opportunity to grab Jay and press his hands into his back, trying his best to pull him back into the bed.

“Mmph! ‘Los!” Jay resists, pushing back from the bed. “Ben and Mal just got here!”

Jay springs backward when Carlos releases his hold and sits upright. An excited smile splays on his lips, and he drops out of bed to join Jay and get ready quickly. In record time they’re making their way down to the kitchen together.

The kitchen is erupt with laughter when they walk in. Ben, Mal, Evie, and Doug are sat around the table with Lonnie as she animatedly tells the story of her and Jane,  _ again _ , while Jane sits in her lap, giggling happily. Ben and Mal are clearly absorbed in the story, Mal nodding her approval and Ben glowing his usual reassuring smile while they listen to Lonnie.

“That’s so cool you guys decided to give it a shot,” Mal mused, giving Lonnie a pleased smirk as she turned to nuzzle Jane’s neck. “Like, you got to be such close friends for so long before you dated. That must’ve made things just, so much...better. Huh?”

Lonnie seems speechless, for once, simply grinning at Jane while she nods vigorously at Mal.

“Isn’t that right, Jay?”

Jay chokes back a chuckle. Mal’s not even looking at him yet, but he knows that smug grin is meant for him. She turns slowly, flashing the grin his way as her eyes trail from Jay to Carlos and back. Carlos buries his face in Jay’s shoulder to hide his reddening complexion.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s great. Thanks Mals, good to see you too.” His eyes never leave Mal’s as he returns her smirk, letting go of Carlos to stride over to her and swoop her up into a hug. “Missed you, M.”

Mal leans into the hug with a smile. “Missed you too, Jay. I’m glad Ben could finagle at least a couple of days off for us,” she teases, stealing a glance over to her husband.

Ben’s already engulfed in a hug with Carlos, but he pulls away and quirks a smile Mal’s way.

“I did my best,” he concedes with a shrug. “I know it’s not much, but the royal court is fully adjourned at least, so we shouldn’t have any disruptions for the next couple of days.”

“ _ Shouldn’t _ , being the key word,” Mal needles, poking at Ben’s chest. He scoffs at her snide comment though, sneaking a quick peck from her before running off to grab more coffee.

“Well, I for one am glad you’re finally here,” Evie says with a squeal, smiling brightly as she leans into Doug, looking over his shoulder at Jay. “Jay has been our Christmas activity coordinator all week, and you’ve been missing out on all the fun!”

“Oh! Oh! Yessss! It’s been so fun!” Lonnie agrees, eyes alight with excitement. “Jay’s got all the great ideas. Like, Christmasy stuff but super fun and exciting. Never a dull moment!” 

The murmurs and nods of universal agreement have Jay swelling proudly, puffing up his chest as he smiles around the kitchen. 

Once he catches the look on his boyfriend’s face, however, he physically deflates.

Carlos is chewing on his bottom lip, eyes cast downward as he scuffs at his foot. Jay observes him, silently, until he hears Doug clearing his throat.

“Anyway, what’s on the agenda for today, Jay? Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be great to have Ben and Mal joining us!”

Evie grips Doug’s arm, eyes wide and focused in a silent _ thank you  _ as he places a hand over hers. Jay sucks in a slow, stuttered breath, forcing a smile at them and silently promising to pry about what’s bothering Carlos later. Besides, he saved the best for last, for when Ben and Mal arrived, so Jay has no doubt that  _ everyone _ will have fun today, especially Carlos.

“Well, why don’t we go find out? We’ve all gotta dress warm again…” he adds, talking over a few groans at the request. “It’ll be worth it! I know it.”

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


Getting everyone dressed and out the door was a lot easier this time around. Jay likes to think that all of his surprises have been so fun that no one feels the need to question why they always have to go outside, but deep down he knows that Ben and Mal’s presence have more to do with it than anything. Ben is always willing to join his friends without question, and Mal has been hyping up their day so much that Jay’s really starting to wonder about her. Mal’s not the...cheerleader type. But he can’t think of another word to describe how she’s acting right now.

“Jay-bear, I think I figured out where we’re  _ goooing _ ,” she coos.

“Oh, did you now?” Jay quips, trying to glance quickly behind him. He knows she’s grinning, but their banter just doesn’t feel right if he can’t match his arrogant looks to hers.

“Yep, and I’m  _ pumped _ .” She grabs Ben’s arm excitedly and stares out the window as they arrive. Jay’s pulling up to the lake now, fully frozen over and empty, with a fresh dusting of snow on top that’s been left untouched.

“Ice skating??” Lonnie practically shouts, jumping up from her seat in the car. “Yes! Let’s do it! I love it!” 

Jay lips curl into a smile at the warm response to his plans. Even Carlos reaches over to intertwine their fingers and flash a happy grin. Well, a sort of persed, tight-lipped grin with a slight hesitation behind his deep brown eyes, but Jay pushes away the need to address it, yet. They only just got here, so there’s plenty of time to warm up to the idea still. And all their friends are here, so what’s not to love about this?

The sounds of excited chatter and elation as skates are being put on heartens Jay. Even Evie cheery smile stays put through the wobbling on her skates, and the mild offhand complaint about them not matching her outfit. Jane is giggling with every step, emulating a newborn foal with the ways her knees are knocking, but still eager and ready to get on the ice.

Carlos is not much sturdier than Jane on his own skates, but Jay keeps a firm grip on his waist and elbow as they walk, and despite a few harrowing teeters on his blades, Carlos glides onto the ice with surprising ease. Definitely a better start to their outings than previous days, and enough to stir a glimmer of happiness inside Jay as he and Carlos fall in sync on the ice together.

Of course, Lonnie still tries to stir up trouble by flying by them on the ice with Jane and getting a little  _ too close _ , but even with that close brush Carlos manages to stay upright, maybe just holding Jay’s arm a little tighter. 

He heaves a sigh of relief once they pass, and Lonnie throws a wink to Jay over her shoulder.

“We’re racing later Jay, you better be up for it!”

“You’re on!” Jay shouts back. He shrugs when Carlos shoots him a troubled glare, but once he squeezes Carlos’ hip and smiles reassuringly, he gives in with a resigned sigh.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you skating alone. Maybe you and Jane can keep each other...up?” Jay grits his teeth, biting back laughter at the thought. 

“Ha ha, very funny,” Carlos quips, bumping him on the shoulder. “I was more worried about your dumbass racing yourself into a tree or something. You and Lonnie aren’t exactly...thoughtful, when you challenge each other.”

Jay chuckles, turning their bodies to ease around a bend in the lake. “I’ll be careful, ‘Los. You know you can trust me.”

Carlos nods silently, choosing to lean into Jay rather than respond, which Jay is fine with. He’s content to enjoy this time with Carlos before their friends disrupt them, which usually happens all too soon anyway.

Especially when Mal is around.

“Jayyyy!” 

He’s startled by two hands on his shoulders, and Mal’s body slams into him from behind before he can react. “Whoa! Sorry,” she cackles, wrapping her arms around to hug him. “I wanna do a whip, Jay! Assemble the troops!”

She pushes off of him, just as Ben skates up and grabs her hand, gesturing for Jay and Carlos to join them as she leads Mal to the middle of the lake. Jay groans as he starts to spin them around.

“You heard the _ queen _ ,” he snarks. “You wanna grab Evie and Doug? I’ll get Jane and Lonnie. Let’s get this over with.”

Carlos giggles and shakes his head as he skates off to do Mal’s bidding. Jay wants to keep a sneer on for show, but Mal’s eagerness to has him feeling giddy. Even Carlos wasn’t fighting back his smiles, despite being out in the bitter cold. Things were finally going well for him.

  
  


\-----

  
  


The rest of the day on the lake had been fun, but largely uneventful. Jay was happy for that though, because really, most of the events of the last few days had some sort of minor disaster tacked onto the end of them.

The whip had been exhilarating in its success. A knot had twisted in Jay’s gut as they all got lined up, the thought of Carlos potentially finding himself at the end and getting whipped into a snow mound had been swirling in his mind when they finally started. But to his luck, Jay had finagled the anchor position, and was able to keep Carlos at his side, ensuring his safety...for the most part. 

Carlos’ breathless laughter and toothy smile remained etched in Jay’s memory, making the day more than worthwhile to him. He even managed to race (and beat) Lonnie, with Carlos conceding to skate with Jane for a bit while they did.

“Oh come ON! How did you do that?  _ Tell me _ you cheated,” Lonnie pants, trying to catch her breath. Jay doesn’t want to sound as winded as he is, but sucking his breath down only leads to an awkward wheezing, which makes Lonnie laugh out loud. “Careful grandpa, you’re gonna hyperventilate! Deep breaths!”

“Shut up,” Jay retorts, unable to bite back his smile. “I beat you fair and square, Li- _ loser _ .”

He snorts when she slaps his back,  _ hard _ . “Fine! Just don’t get a big head about it, cause it’s not gonna last long, you hear?”

Jay nods, letting his laughter die down as his breaths come in more evenly. His eyes dart around the lake until they land on Jane and Carlos, arms linked as they skate slowly, chattering quietly and smiling to each other. It’s only when Lonnie leans in to follow his gaze that he realizes he’s been staring.

“They’re fucking cute, aren’t they?” she muses, smiling softly as she watches them. “The cutest little nerds…” she adds with a quiet chuckle.

Jay nods, but jumps when Lonnie spins to face him, lips painted with a playful smirk. 

“They really needed us you know? To show them how to let loose and just have fun.” She turns back to steal a glance at them again. “I just assumed Jane would always be uptight. I still liked her though, still wanted to give it a shot. And...she’s actually really fun. She’s always up for anything when she’s with me.”

Lonnie continues to watch Jane, and Jay almost has to choke back a giggle at the dreamy look on her face, but he’s able to control himself. He’s too happy for Lonnie anyway, he doesn’t even feel his usual need to tease her.

She finally seems to snap out of it, looking back at Jay with only a half quirk of a smile. She huffs a laugh at him, shaking her head.

“You gotta do the nerd stuff too, though, don’t you? Just to make them happy. It’s not so bad though. Jane loves when we read together. And we do puzzles allll the time.” 

She scrunches her nose when Jay chuckles at her, giving him a nudge with her elbow. “Turns out, I actually like puzzles. I had  _ no _ idea. I guess that makes me a little bit of a nerd too, huh?”

“It makes you a nerd for Jane.” He actually laughs this time, and Lonnie rolls her eyes at him. 

“I hate to break it to you, but you’ve been a nerd for Carlos even longer.”

Jay scoffs, pulling her along as Jane and Carlos start to skate back to them. “If you say so, Lons. It doesn’t matter anyway, cause I’m not about to complain.”

Lonnie seems eerily quiet for a moment, but just as she reaches out to grab Jane’s hand, Jay hears her barely mumble.

“Me neither.”

  
  


\-----

  
  


Jay feels his happiness creeping through him for the entirety of their drive back to the castle. The car is relatively silent, Evie and Mal are already both sleeping, clearly feeling physically spent from the long day outside. Jane and Lonnie talk quietly in the back for most of the ride, while Jay lightly strokes Carlos’ hair as he lays his head against the center console. He’s smiling sleepily, and a rush of joy consumes Jay from the inside out. Ice skating had gone off without a hitch, and at this point he couldn’t have wished for more. Today was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

When they arrive at the castle, Carlos pulls Jay aside and into the hallway as they’re walking in.

“So. Don’t be mad, but-” Jay’s already frowning, so Carlos turns a weak smile. “-would it be ok with you if I just went to our room now? I really want to lay down, I’m beat.” Carlos bites his lip and looks downward, refusing to meet Jay’s gaze as he waits for him to respond. 

Jay’s trying to be understanding, but really, he isn’t. Sure, today was tiring, but everyone else is still choosing to hang out together, and Carlos is never one to turn down time with friends. And Mal and Ben just got here today! This just, doesn’t seem like something that Carlos would do.

Carlos finally looks at Jay, giving him wide, pleading eyes and his most regretful smile. 

“I mean, if that’s what you want. You know I won’t stop you.” Jay mumbles, trying his best to look sincere.

Carlos nods, kissing him quickly on the cheek as he passes by to retreat upstairs. Jay huffs a sigh as he watches, eventually trudging glumly back into the main living room alone to rejoin their friends.

  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“Jay, will you get your mopey ass in here already?”

Mal shoves another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, letting the spoon dangle from her lips as she waves Jay into the kitchen. He follows her command wordlessly. All the will he had to enjoy her company and banter went upstairs hours ago, leaving him alone so his mind could formulate all the potential scenarios that sent Carlos upstairs and  _ not  _ with Jay on Christmas Eve.

“Are you just going to sit around all night and wonder what the hell you did wrong?”

Jay grits his teeth as he slides into the chair next to Mal. “No,” he grumbles, but she’s already flashing a shit-eating grin.

“Yes, yes you are, Jay-bear. You’re not fooling me. Never could, so stop trying,” she chuckles and dips her finger in her ice cream to smear it across Jay’s nose. He swipes it off with a sneer, shrugging her arm off his shoulder.

“Fine, who the fuck cares?” He bursts, tossing his hands up in frustration. “I spent weeks planning out this trip, and all I’ve managed to do is drop a tree on Carlos, knock him out with a toboggan and make him want to go to bed and ignore me. I think I have the right to fuckin’ be upset, ok? I ruined our first Christmas together. He probably hates me.”

“Ok, stop with the pity party. He doesn’t hate you. I saw him with you all day today. He does, like...the _ exact opposite _ of hating you.”

Opposite of hate? Jay’s lip trembles, but he forces back his smile. “But, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough tonight. And I _ thought _ he had a great time today.”

“Jayyy,” she sighs, “I love you, you know I do. But not everything is about you. Did you ever think that  _ maybe _ Carlos was...tired?” 

Jay shrugs, a little disbelieving. “He’s skated before, it’s never that exhausting. And he’d  _ never _ give up the chance to see you and Ben. We’ve been wanting to see you guys for so long.”

“I know,” Mals says, squeezing Jay’s hand. “And we’re excited to see you both too. But from what Evie’s been telling me, you’ve had all of them running laps for days with all your,  _ Christmas activities _ .”

Jay snorts at Mal’s finger quotes, slapping them down with a smirk. “So what’s your point? I’m just trying to make the most of this trip, and really get in the Christmas spirit. You know? Make it a memorable Christmas for everyone.”

“And I’m not arguing that at all, Jay. Really, Evie, Lonnie and Jane wouldn’t stop raving about how fun it’s been thanks to you. But-”

“But? Oh great, here it comes,” Jay starts to moan.

“Just shut up and listen, ok? When you were making all these,  _ Christmassy _ plans, did you stop to consider the things that Carlos likes to do?”

Jay pauses, licking at his lips as he thinks. “He likes...Christmas. Being with friends.”

“He likes sitting and talking, playing board games, doing puzzles,” she explains with a quirk of her brow. “Sure, he does sports. Sometimes. But mostly to spend time with you, like with tourney. But, you fell in love with a nerd, Jay. Don’t forget that.”

Jay scoffs, turning away from Mal with an angry furrow in his brow. But he releases with a sad sigh. “Fuck, you’re right. I know you’re right. I should’ve made at least one day about doing what he loves, not me.  _ Dammit _ .”

He drops his head, clenching his fists on the table. But Mal reaches out to him, softening his grip with her fingers. 

“Will you chill? We can still fix this.”

“Mal, it’s  _ Christmas Eve _ . What the hell are we gonna do?”

Mal’s smile stretches wide and triumphant. “I thought you’d never ask. E! Get in here!”

Jay here’s some stumbling in the main living room, followed by quickening clacks.

“You called, M?” Evie sing-songs as she pops around the corner.

“Remember what we talked about? Jay does need our help,” Mal tells her, smirking at Jay’s surprised look.

Evie grins toothily at Mal. “Oh good! Craft time!”


	5. The Sweetest Christmas

“Jay? Are you down here??”

Jay stirs at the sound of Carlos’ voice. It seems...distant. He reaches over to check his boyfriend’s spot on the bed-

“Oof!”

He lands on the floor with a hard  _ thud _ . Popping up quickly, he blinks the sleep out of his eyes to try to place where he is, but a glance down at the couch he’s standing next to and he already knows exactly what happened.

Well, shit. This is definitely not how he wanted Christmas morning to start.

“Jay??”

“In here ‘Los!” Jay calls out. He starts sorting his hair out before Carlos sees him, dragging his fingers through it harshly to comb out the snarls.

Carlos’ head pops in from the kitchen, his furrowed brow smoothing as soon as he lays eyes on Jay. “There you are,” he sighs, shuffling over and wrapping his arms around Jay’s waist. “Why didn’t you come to bed last night?”

Jay sighs, hugging Carlos close and burying his face in white curls. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He lets one hand rub circles into Carlos’ back as he pulls away a little, looking into sad and tired brown eyes. “I was working on...something. With Evie. To add to your gift.

“A gift. For me?” Carlos lights up almost instantly, a smile quickly spreading on his lips. Jay bites his lip to fight back a chuckle. Carlos’ excitement mirrors a kid at Christmas and it’s  _ adorable _ .

Jay nods, leaning in for a short kiss. “Merry Christmas, Carlos.”

Carlos grins happily at Jay and kisses him again. “Merry Christmas, Jay.”

Carlos grabs Jay’s hand, curling their fingers together to lead him into the kitchen and bumping his shoulder lightly as they walk. 

“You know exactly what to say to get out of trouble, don’t you?” Carlos teases, ducking his head to hide his pinking cheeks. “It’s not like I can be upset when I know you were working on a present for me. Even if I  _ did _ wake up cold and alone in our bed,” he adds with a pout.

“Aw, you know I hate to hear that,” Jay groans, releasing their hands to wrap his arms around Carlos’ shoulders. “Especially not on  _ Christmas day _ . I love being your space heater,” he adds with a kiss to Carlos’ temple.

Evie and Doug are just sitting down at the table when Jay and Carlos walk into the kitchen, and the sight of them has Evie bouncing back up quickly, her robe flapping behind her as she makes a mad dash into Carlos’ arms. 

“Oh! Merry, merry Christmas you two!” She coos, squeezing Carlos tightly before launching herself at Jay. “It’s so wonderful that we get to be here all together, isn’t it?? I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas.”

“I think it’s safe to assume Evie is up, because I can’t think of anyone else that could be  _ that _ chipper in the morning.”

Mal drags her feet lazily into the kitchen, her arm draped across Ben for support. “Aren’t you all just a bunch of fuckin’ noisy early birds?” She teases, lips curled into a half smile. 

Evie just grins and shakes her head, already walking over to Mal and wrapping her arms around her, not even giving her enough time to dislodge from Ben. It’s an awkward hug, but still as sweet and loving as any Jay has seen between the girls.

“Merry Christmas, Mally,” Evie sings sweetly from Mal’s shoulder, prompting the girl’s smile to widen. 

“Ok, ok. Merry Christmas, Eves,” Mal resigns with a happy sigh. “Now,” she adds as she pulls back, “how about we take this sappy show into the living room? I propose we eat  _ after _ presents, if that works for everyone?”

Her glance flicks over to Jay, a smug smile tugging at her lips. Jay chokes back a snort when he sees her, lowering his eyes and giving a tiny shake of his head. As grateful as he is for the gift ideas that Mal and Evie had helped him come up with and execute last night, Mal’s eagerness to show off what they did is just the _ tiniest _ bit funny, especially coming from his favorite cynical bitch.

He looks back over at Mal in time to catch her knowing look at Evie, her cheeks flushed with excitement and green eyes widening. Jay can’t believe how quickly his friends are being reduced to overexcited children at the mere idea of celebrating Christmas morning. But, really, it’s just  _ too damn cute _ to complain about.

And if he’s being honest with himself, he can’t remember a Christmas where he’s been this excited, either. With all of his friends gathered together, and with nothing to do all day but open presents and enjoy each other’s company? He can’t deny that the promise of a day like that has him feeling a little like a giddy little kid, too.

——-

  
  


Doug is recruited to rouse Jane and Lonnie so they can start opening the gifts all together, despite his VERY vocal reluctance to do so. And Jay and Mal’s continued joking about what he might encounter up there, with both girls  _ completely _ alone, in their bedroom, does nothing to reassure him. Evie is fully aware of this too, clearly, as she gives Jay and Mal her usual disapproving glare.Their level of entertainment from making Doug flush and fluster has not diminished at all over the years.

Fortunately, bringing Jane and Lonnie downstairs is largely uneventful, at least from what Doug tells them when they finally make it to the main living area. Though Jane’s bright pink cheeks and muffled giggles as she clings to Lonnie’s arm might suggest otherwise. But no one questions it when they plop down onto the floor in front of the tree, with Jane scooting close to Carlos to give him a hug and wish him a Merry Christmas, and Lonnie ending up opposite them, gripping Jay’s arm and hooking it over her shoulders.

“Big day, huh? Merry Christmas, Jay,” she tells him, her smile wide and toothy.

“Yeah. Merry Christmas Lons.” Jay tips his head to let it rest on hers while hugging her shoulders.

“Is it everything you hoped it would be?”

Lonnie turns to face Jay better, staring curiously at his face to gauge his reaction.

He grins brightly at her. “A little too early to say, but I have a feeling it will be. I mean, I have _ you  _ here with me, right? So it’s already great.”

“Damn straight!” Lonnie agrees, bursting out a chuckle. “I’m glad you finally realized that, Jay-Bear.”

Lonnie’s laughs are muffled as Jay pulls her into his chest, hugging her around the neck and ruffling her hair as she tries to push away from him. But they pull apart suddenly when Mal stands up and claps loudly.

“Alright alright, how about we start passing out gifts now? I’m  _ dying _ to see what my Benny Boo got me anyway,” Mal teases, giving Ben a playful pinch to his cheeks.

Ben rolls his eyes and plants a kiss on Mal’s nose before pushing himself off the couch to snatch an envelope from under the tree.

“Just remember, great things come in small packages,” he adds, before giving Mal a teasing wink and handing her the envelope. 

A snort from behind him catches Ben’s attention, but Carlos and Lonnie both launch themselves at Jay to smack a hand over his mouth before he can make any retort. They finally let go of him when he raises his hands in surrender.

“You’re no fun,” he mumbles.

The group quickly descends on the gifts under the tree, passing them around until everyone has their own presents laid out in front of them. They all begin their unwrapping at the same time to the soft din of conversation and laughter, taking their time to enjoy each other’s company on Christmas morning and excitedly share all that they received.

“Well shit Ben, you weren’t kidding about those small packages!” Jay chokes out when Mal opens her gift. “A whole fuckin’  _ island _ ?? Damn Ben, you wanna marry me instead? I’ll treat you good, I swear!. Shit, for my own island I’ll treat you any way you want.”

Jay wheezes as a firm hand is smacked into his chest. He grabs it tightly, pulling Carlos into him for a hug and kissing him solidly on the cheek as he tries to wiggle out of Jay’s grasp.

“Aw, don’t be mad ‘Los, you know I’m kidding! Besides, what would I do with a whole island if I couldn’t share it with you? Hmm?” He asks sweetly, kissing Carlos again before he pulls away to sit back upright.

Carlos rolls his eyes, absentmindedly toying with the red ribbon on the box in front of him. A tiny smile splays on his lips as he looks at the gift, which morphs into a wicked grin when he locks eyes with Jay.

“How about I decide how I feel after I open my gift?” He asks coyly, waggling his eyebrows. “Then we can see if your gifts are as smooth as your words.”

Jay smirks proudly, giving Carlos a nod as he pushes the box closer. “Go for it,” he challenges, puffing out his chest confidently. He’s very sure that Carlos will love what Evie and Mal helped him come up with, so he’d rather not waste another second waiting for him to open it. And if he earns extra brownie points for his smoothness? He’ll take them, gladly.

A glimmer of excitement sparkles in his eyes as Carlos tucks into his present, sliding off the bow and tearing off the paper with absolute vigor. Jay swears he can hear a tiny squeal slip from the boy’s lips as he reaches the box, pausing for a breath before lifting the lid to peer inside.

Jay chews on his lip while he watches Carlos silently, a nervous energy building in his gut when he sees him lift the first gift out of the box. It was a stack of cards, and Carlos flips them over in his hands, slipping the first card out of the rubber band to examine it more closely.

“Harry?” He gives Jay a confused look, then pulls out the next card. “and...Chad?” 

Carlos sifts through the cards, quickly glancing at every one. “Jay, this is a stack of cards...of all of my friends?”

“Yeah,” Jay agrees, rubbing at his neck awkwardly. “It’s a...game. Mal helped me come up with it.” 

He takes the stack of cards from Carlos’ hands, lifting Harry’s card from the top and tipping it away from him. “When it’s your turn, you hold up the top card away from you, and the other players give you two facts about the person on the card. You guess who it is based on the facts that you get. So, the weirder and more random the facts are, the harder it is. The player who guesses the most people in 60 seconds wins.”

Jay places the deck back into Carlos’ hands, and watches his face intently when he pulls back. He has no time to scrutinize Carlos’ reaction, however, as the boy’s bright eyes immediately meet his, with a radiating smile already on his lips.

“Jay, this is...awesome!” he coos, dragging his fingers across the cards lightly as he stares at them in awe. “I can’t wait to play this! Thank you  _ so _ much, I love it.”

Jay feels a flush of warmth in his cheeks at the sincerity in Carlos’ voice, his heart swelling with joy as he grins back at his boyfriend. Emboldened by Carlos’ excited response, Jay eagerly lunges forward, thrusting his hand into the box in front of Carlos, prompting a squeak of surprise. He whips out one more wrapped item, dropping it in front of Carlos with a flustered gasp of breath.

“There’s one more! And if you loved that, I think you’ll go nuts for this one!”

He keeps his eyes trained on the box as Carlos lifts off the lid and peers inside.

“Oh!” Carlos exclaims, picking up a large photo print. “It’s the castle! Did you take this picture on the day we got here?”

Jane and Lonnie huddle up to Carlos, leaning over his shoulder to take a peek.

“Oh look!” Jane squeals, poking at the picture. “Lonnie, there are the snow angels we made! What a pretty shot, Jay. The snow looks magical!”

Lonnie nods vigorously, elbowing Jay in the shoulder. “I like it, Jay-bear. What a thoughtful gift.”

Jay snorts and shakes his head at them. “Oh please. I did better than that.”

He pushes the photo aside, gesturing inside the box it came from. “I made a puzzle.”

“What?!” 

Carlos can’t hide his surprise as he pulls the box close. “How...how, did you do that?”

Jay smiles proudly, glancing back at Evie and Mal. “It’s cake, ya know, when you’ve got the queen of Auradon and the world’s most creative designer backing you up.”

Evie steps forward and smiles curtly, her soft red lips pressed together and eyes crinkled with a gaze of warm affection. “Jay really wanted to give you something to remember this Christmas by, Carlos. And, to show you how grateful he is that you’ve been such a good sport with all of his activities-”

“-to show all of us,” Mal interjects, smirking at Jay.

“Right. To show all of us,” Evie agrees, giggling quietly. “Today, we’re going to have a cozy day inside. We can use your gifts, if you want, or just...hang out in our pj’s and relax together. I’m even going to serve breakfast right in here. Today is going to _ just  _ be about-” 

“-being lazy asses together,” Mal finishes. Evie whips her head to glare at Mal, but her look immediately softens at the girl’s teasing smile, and she simply shakes her head.

“ _ Enjoying  _ each other’s company,” Evie corrects her. Then she turns back to Carlos. “Merry Christmas, Carlos.”

Carlos is glowing, his smile stretched wide as he beams at Evie, Mal, and back to Jay. “That’s,  _ exactly _ what I wanted. Thank you so much.”

Carlos leans in towards Jay, who meets him halfway to connect their lips softly. It’s a short kiss. It always is when they’re in public, to keep from flustering Carlos too much with added attention. 

That doesn’t stop it from being interrupted with an irritated groan, though.

“Ok, ok! Jay did good, we get it. Not a shocker. He has  _ us _ to help him look good,” Mal jokes with a smug grin. “But there’s still gifts to open! And I needed food like, an hour ago. Chop chop!” 

Soon after, animated chatter and shrieks of excitement are following a flurry of torn wrapping paper and bows. Gifts are being opened and presented with flourish while breakfast is served, the sweet scent of cinnamon rolls permeating the air. 

Jay licks the icing off his lips as he watches in silence, taking in the joyful squeals and bursting smiles of his friends, their cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fireplace and steaming cups of hot chocolate all around. The happiness in the room was almost palpable, as thick and enjoyable as the whipped cream swirled on each mug. Jay couldn’t think of a morning he had ever enjoyed as much as this one.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Just as Evie promised, their day was spent inside, with not a single one of them even bothering to change out of their pajamas. A lazy day by all definitions, but not boring. Not at all. Actually, they had quickly discovered that the game that Jay had given Carlos was absolutely hilarious, and just couldn’t get enough of it. Half the day was gone in an instant before they had even considered another activity. The facts that were being shared about their friends were just  _ too good _ to stop.

Well, except for dinner, maybe. Food had been a long forgotten commodity at that point, and the feast Evie and Doug had had prepared was smelling way too good to resist.

“Why am I not surprised that Chad would carry an emergency mirror around in his shoe?” Carlos asks, snorting a little as he packs up the cards. Jay chuckles, handing him a stack when he stands up. 

“Forget about that, I’m trying to figure out when Harry had a crush on you! He never said a word about you to me.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve talked to him much recently,” Carlos contemplates. He plops down onto the nearest couch, waiting patiently while Jay curls in next to him, letting a hand fall on Carlos’ knee as he settles into place.

“But. We used to...hang out. A lot.” 

Jay hesitates at the memory, letting a thumb trace circles on Carlos’ knee while he mulls over his words.

“From what you’ve told me, you didn’t do much  _ talking _ then, either.”

Jay’s head shoots up, eyes narrowing at Carlos’ wicked smile. He slides his hand off Carlos’ knee, slowly letting it creep under the hem of the boy’s shirt.

“Low blow, ‘Los,” he snarks. “Do I need to remind you what happens when you try to tease me?”

He gives Carlos’ side a harsh squeeze, making the boy squeal and jump back. “Ok, ok, stop!” he wheezes, prying at Jay’s fingers to try to pull them off. “I’m sorry!”

Jay grins and leans closer, burying his face in Carlos’ neck before leaving a trail of wet sloppy kisses up to his jaw. Carlos squirms and wiggles to get away from Jay, breathless and panting from his own laughter.

“I give! I give! Stop, pleeeeease.”

Jay pulls back,, smirking as Carlos huffs out a few breaths, finally bracing himself on his arms to push himself back upright.

“Rude,” Carlos states flatly, sticking out his tongue. “It’s not my fault you hooked up with Hook.” He sniggers at his comment, trying to hide his smile. “Get it? You hooked-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jay groans, rolling his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute, cause your jokes could use some work.”

“And yet,  _ you _ still love me,” Carlos adds, grinning as he goes in for a kiss. “So what does that say about you?”

Jay smiles into the kiss, wrapping fingers around Carlos’ neck to keep him in place.

“That I’m lucky, too.”

  
  


\-----

The last few hours of their evening are spent tackling Carlos’ new puzzle. Carlos had asked to start it immediately after dinner, and the glow of elation on his face was too adorable for Jay to even try to resist.

Even if the puzzle was huge. And  _ exhausting _ .

Not surprisingly, Mal gives up first, barely a few minutes into the puzzle. She moans that her blood sugar is low, and she might pass out if she doesn’t get something right away. Her dramatic display is just enough to goad Ben to abandon the puzzle, too.

“Alright, let’s go,” he sighs, pulling Mal up on her feet. “I’ll pull together a snack for you in the kitchen.”

“You mean, you’ll cut me another piece of strawberry cheesecake, right?” Mal lets her lip jut out in a fake pout, but it’s more playful than pleading.

“Of course, my queen,” Ben teases with a roll of his eyes. They give a casual wave as they make a quick exit to the kitchen.

“She must’ve been hungry,” Jane observes montonely, her eyes never leaving the puzzle. She’s too focused on filling in the corner snow angels to pay any real attention to her surroundings. 

Lonnie stays close to Jane, occasionally leaning over her shoulder to hand her her more pieces of the puzzle as she finds them. They both seem to be concentrating on the section they’re assembling, but every few minutes or so Lonnie lets her fingers drag across Jane’s earlobe, smiling happily at the glint of blue topaz from earrings she had given to Jane. It makes Jane smile wide each time, tilting her head to nuzzle against Lonnie’s cheek. 

Jay watches them for a moment, a satisfied grin spread on his face. When Lonnie catches his eye, he can’t resist giving her a proud wink. She shakes her head with a chuckle but still returns the gesture, leaning back into the beautiful brunette by her side.

Hay can hardly describe how this day has made him feel. He’s...intoxicated. Either from utter happiness, or maybe just the warm mulled cider cupped in his hands. But either way it’s the best feeling. While this whole week has been great, Jay has to admit that today, and the close, intimate time he got to spend with his friends, with Carlos, has been his favorite. 

It’s a gentle reminder to him why he loves his boyfriend so much. While he doesn’t always agree with Carlos’ idea of a good time, the little genius knows exactly how to fill his life with meaningful moments that he can treasure forever, and he’s definitely grateful to Carlos for giving him that.

But when Jay glances at Carlos, with his half-hooded eyes and fingers sliding uselessly over the pieces spread out on the coffee table, making no effort to pick any up to sort them out, he knows Carlos is done with making meaningful moments for the night.

“‘Los?”

“Hmmm?” Carlos responds lazily, pursing his lips to fight back a yawn.

“How about we finish this up tomorrow?” Jay implores, and clasps a hand under Carlos’ elbow to help lift him up. “We can get back to it first thing in the morning.”

Carlos gives in to the yawns he’s been fighting, rising up slowly at Jay’s urging. “Mmmhm.” He hums into Jay’s shoulder as he cuddles himself into Jay’s chest, letting himself be held up by the strong, muscular arms now draped across his shoulders.

After sleepy goodnight mumbles are passed, Jay starts to guide Carlos slowly upstairs to their room. For their entire trek he keeps talking to Carlos despite his head starting to droop on Jay’s shoulders. His hand on Carlos’ shoulder is in continuous motion too - anything to keep his boyfriend awake for just a little longer.

He has just  _ one more surprise _ planned for this week.

Carlos makes a beeline for the bed as soon as they get to their room, crawling on all fours across to his side and lifting the blanket to burrow underneath. Jay watches him from the doorway, pulling the door closed softly behind him before walking around to wear Carlos has settled.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep just yet, ok?”

Jay drops down beside Carlos, resting one arm on the bed as he reaches to stroke Carlos’ cheek with the other. “I have one more gift for you.”

One brown eye pops open, and Carlos turns to face Jay while he slowly opens the other. “Y-you do?”

He props himself up on his elbows, leaning in close to study Jay’ face. “But, you got me so much. I only got you that  _ stupid _ snowboard.”

“Hey, I love that snowboard,” Jay insists, kissing Carlos on the cheek. “It’s exactly what I wanted and it’s perfect. And anyway, this other gift is kind of...for both of us. Ok?”

“Ok…” Carlos looks up at him, still hesitant.

“I had this plan, originally,” Jay cuts in quickly. “...to take you hiking, in the mountains. And we’d stay in a cabin, right there on the mountainside. It’s so beautiful there, I know you’d love it. And I had places picked out already, to hike to, and waterfalls we could climb and jump off of, gorgeous hills for ziplining. And we could just, do all these  _ amazing _ things. Together.Thrilling, unforgettable, heartstopping things that we’d remember forever.”

Jay takes Carlos’ hands in his and looks into his eyes. He’s smiling sincerely, and his eyes are wide with surprise, as if Jay’s plans do sound exciting. Jay almost considers going back to that plan, if Carlos is responding so well to it. 

But he knows there’s something he would love even more.

“But...that’s not the plan anymore.”

Carlos tilts his head, looking confused, so Jay continues. “I talked to Mal and Ben already. They’re going to let us stay on Mal’s island. As a little vacation, for us. It’s all ours for a week.”

“What?? Really??”

Carlos pops up fully, forcing Jay to stumble back with a laugh. But it doesn’t matter, because his boyfriend’s huge smile is worth it. “Yeah, ‘Los. They want us to. We’re gonna chill on a beach for a week, just you and me.”

Carlos squeals happily, pulling Jay into a hug. “That sounds so perfect! Thank you!” But then he pulls back, just as quickly, giving a quizzical look. “But...why did you change your plan? What happened to the mountains?”

Jay’s still smiling, and he takes Carlos’ hands again. He’s sure now that he made the right decision.

“Because, ‘Los. I planned so much fun, crazy shit this week. Cutting down trees, sledding, ice skating-”

“And I loved it!” Carlos interrupts, voice sharp and insistent. “This week has been  _ so  _ fun, all thanks to you.”

Jay chuckles, shaking his head. “Thanks, that means a lot to me. I was just trying to make it a special time for us. For you.”

He squeezes Carlos’ hand. “But, I realized something this week. Well, maybe Mal helped me a little,” he adds with a snicker, “but she’s right, like always.”

He wraps his arm around Carlos’ shoulders and pulls him close. “I love everything we do together. But, _ I’m _ the one that loves sports. And being active, doing stuff outside. I feel like...everything I planned, everything that I thought you would love to do...they were more, things  _ I love _ to do. I’m saying you don’t love them. I just...love them more, you know?”

Carlos’ smile reaches his eyes as he listens to Jay, and he nods his understanding. Jay pulls Carlos even closer, nuzzling along his temple.

“And as much as I want to share the stuff I love with you,” he adds, “I should...I  _ want _ , to share yours with you, too. And I do! I really, really do. So, we’re going to sit on a beach, and relax, and enjoy each other’s company. We’ll save the world’s best hiking adventure for another day.”

Carlos bursts into giggles, nudging Jay as he grins smugly.

“Thanks, I think,” Carlos pants through his laughter. “But, this  _ could  _ become the world’s best beach adventure, you never know.”

“True,” Jay admits with a grin. “I’m not sure we can call laying on the beach an adventure, though.”

Carlos taps his chin with his finger, pretending to think but not hiding his smirk. “Well who says we have to just lay on a beach the whole time? This trip sounds like the perfect opportunity to try out surfing, don’t you think? I mean, I’m sure you’ll be better at it than me, but I’m willing to try. I’ll try anything, as long as it’s with you.”

Jay’s smile brightens, his cheeks pinking from the flush of warmth through his body as he pulls Carlos in again. He feels so...content. Happy. Loved. 

“Same here, Carlos.”

This didn’t feel like the vacation of his dreams, at first. But he’s going to be with Carlos, making him happy. And that gets his blood thrumming harder than even the most extreme sport ever could. So he’s definitely willing to give a vacation like this a try, for Carlos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished! Sorry this is so long after Christmas, but this sweet ending is worthy of a Valentine's post, I think. <3


End file.
